"Where do you see yourself in 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 years?" - Joe
The topic of where I see myself in the future is an important one to me. I've always been somewhat of an ambitious person. Apparently I have a borderline type-A pesonality. We are the type of people who are chronic perfectionists and obsess over things, and try to put things in clearly labelled boxes.
Anyway, I digress - I've always had pretty high expectations of myself and had a pretty ambitious streak. I would be bored shitless not doing something where I was being mentally stimulated and even worse, if I don't I start to muck around and annoy everyone else. When I was in High School I decided I wanted to study Journalism, and that was my goal from there. Things seemed pretty set.
The last three years or so have changed my perspective on a number of things though. When I finished High School I decided to go on a youth exchange to live and learn about the culture there. To cut to the chase the trip was predominantly amazing with a few glitches at the end, but it was when I returned home that things got a little complicated.
Nevertheless I enrolled in my Arts degree at Uni and began to learn. I figured I'd get it back eventually. Something was missing though - I didn't have any mojo. There were books to be read, important ones, but they didn't want to be read. I took Media classes, stuck on the idea of becoming a Journalist still, and I gradually found that what I'd wanted all those years in High School was completely not up my alley.
I've fluffed around with my Arts degree for a couple of years now. Then eventually, when I finally got sick of people asking if I wanted to be a teacher, I finally I did the best thing I ever could.
I just packed my shit up and went home to my parents house for three months.
I had nothing there besides a big screen TV and a blockbuster membership to keep me occupied and I found myself scratching my head and really trying to figure out what was going on with my life. One day I just sat myself down with "Job Hunting for Dummies" and thought "right, that's it, I'm going to figure out what the hell I'm doing for once and for all".
I learned how to get myself motivated to look for a new job. I learned how to apply for those new jobs properly. I learned how to prepare for interviews. I thoroughly examined all of the things I wanted out of a career and found careers that matched those criteria rather than trying to adapt myself to whatever narrow opportunities came my way.
In short I actively began to search for what I wanted.
With this revelation came a whole new way of thinking. I realised that I didn't have to struggle with money anymore, that instead I could learn how to invest wisely and set myself up for life. I realised that my friends dropping off the face of the planet was their loss, and not mine. I realised that what I'd been missing for the last two years was a challenge and people interaction - I was lonely and bored because I was studying a degree that kept you in a corner reading books, and doing essays that essentially I could do in my sleep. All because I just wanted "a degree".
Furthermore, once I realised that categorising things in terms of importance, and putting everything into a neatly labelled box is what was slowing me down. If you spend a huge amount of your time putting things like "Journalism" in the "Future" box, you tend to forget that the boxes are breakable and the shelf they're sitting on doesn't come with a lifetime guarantee.
So what will I be doing in "in 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30 years?"
Whatever I freakin' want, and loving it! Hopefully working in marketing or running some sort of business that involves a lot of travel, regularly sharing laughter with my friends, canoodling with someone I think is awesome who thinks I am just as awesome, and constantly being challenged and thus made to look forward to the future.
Cheers,
Melissa
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4 comments:
well my noble friend...
i am so happy that you are feeling back on track, i like this mel(issa) even better than i did the one of yesterdays when you seemed down so often (don't think we didn't notice on occasion... we care).
i must admit, that it's strange to me to read other people's hopes for their futures, because we all see ourselves differently and we always want different things from life. for example, where i see myself is taking a break from speech path to raise my children and then maybe going bac and doing something involving sign language and theater... but for me, i see my future as involving kids. not that you don't see yours there too, but if the question had been posed to me, that would have been in my answer. though i also understand your new found confidence in your future... either way you rock... and you know what i was thinking about the other day... if you could meet one famous person, dead or alive, who would it be and why... i actually found my answer... i never had one before, but i thought of one... yay me...
Who is it?!?!
Oh and I'd like to have kids one day as well. I can't believe I didn't even think to put that in there.
i vote we save the answer for another post... (you like that subtle new post hint there?) and of course you want children, i am pretty sure we talked bout it. i think it might just be your current state of mind, you are incredibly focused on uni and having your life on the right track and blah blah blah... i have known what i wanted to do for years now, so i have kind of had time to think about what i want out of that... it is sprising how much i want what would seem to some such a mediocre life, i don't need to be the best or make the most money or blah blah blah, i just want to do something i enjoy and have a family and a man that i can spend the rest of my life with, and that will make me happier than anyhing else i can think of really... i dunno, that's just me though, and in the sense of being happy, i guess that would make my life less mediocre, but still, to some it seems average and totally and completely devoid of lots of flashy glitz and glamour which some people strive for...
oh, and hey charlie... come with us chaaaarliee, we are going to candy mountain chaaarliee...
Yay Charlieeeeeeeeeeee
You're right I am very focussed. I'm a very focussed person really. Being too focussed is my problem. But as th e post shows, I'm getting over that now.
Kids are awesome. People always think because I talk about careers and stuff that I think women who stay at home with their kids are mental. I don't really. Granted I lived with a host family overseas that had a stay at home Mum and her nurturing nearly drove me nuts because I wasn't used to so much attention from a maternal figure, I was used to being independent. That said though she had a great relationship with her family and they were a very cohesive unit. There's definitely something to be said for being a stay at home Mum. I just don't think it could ever be me. It's not just that I don't like the monotonous jobs like the diaper changing and organising day care and play dates and that sort of thing - I can actually see myself doing those sorts of things. I just don't picutre myself doing nothing BUT those things for at least five years until they reach school age.
I'm also the kind of person who would hire a housekeeper rather than spend copious amounts of time trying to keep my house impressively keen to impress visitors.
I'm all in favour of giving the monotonous jobs the flick in favour of doing the right things by my family and my sanity.
If I ever have either that is =)
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